Enticed by Ecstasy (Wicked Treasures) by Donna Grant Page A

you loyalty because you’re a good man.”
    He chuckled.   “I might just keep you around forever if you continue with compliments like that.”
    Abby’s body stilled.   She hadn’t realized until that moment how much she wanted to stay.   She told herself she’d be strong whenever she left Channing, but now she wasn’t so sure.   He had become such a large part of her life over the last couple of weeks, weeks where for the first time she felt like she truly belonged to something.
    “Abby?”
    She forced a smile and winked at him.   “I think I’ve decided that I want at least a dozen children.   I want my home filled with laughter.”
    “And broken items with that many kids,” he teased.   “Not to mention trying to get them all to mind.”
    She shrugged.   “Maybe, but there will be laughter.”   It was something she had missed out on as a child. She wouldn’t have it gone from her life now.
    He held out his hand to her.   “I’ve got something to show you.”
    Abby readily put her hand in his.   “Where are you taking me today?   To see the elephants again?   Or the cheetahs?   What about the lions?   Oh, is it more giraffes?   I love the giraffes.”
    “You’ve already seen all of those,” he said with a laugh.   “I’ve got something different to show you today.”
    “You know how curious I get.   Give me a hint.”
    He turned and picked up a bag.   “No hints.   You’ll just have to wait.”
    She loved each adventure he took her on – and there had been many.   She had seen parts of Africa that she doubted many whites would ever see.   The animals were magnificently large, their calls filling the air day and night.
    Abby hurried after Channing as he started out to wherever he was taking her.   Just yesterday he had promised to take her to see the plains of Africa where the earth stretched for miles with nothing but a few trees and animals dotting the landscape.   At her prodding, he even agreed to take her to the desert just so she could say she’d seen it.
    They walked for a couple of hours.   Talk was kept to a minimum while Abby admired all the wildlife.   She now kept a pistol in a pocket of her skirts just in case there was danger nearby.   It made her feel a little safer, but nothing put her at ease like Channing’s nearness.
    When Channing suddenly stopped and turned to her with a smile on his face she could only stare at him.   And then she heard it.   She gasped and lifted her skirts to run toward the sound of the surf.
    She broke through the dense trees, Channing on her heels, to see a magnificent beach of white sand.   Waves of dark blue crashed on the shore leaving white foam behind.
    The roar of the waves deafened the animals behind her.   She jerked her skirts over her knee and lifted her leg to tug off her boot.   The thick sand made her lose her balance, and she tried to hop around to keep upright.   Just when she was about to fall, Channing was there to steady her.
    “In that much of a hurry, are you?” he teased.
    She tugged off her boot and tossed it aside before rising up on her toes to kiss him.   “It’s stunning.   I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of seeing the many sides of Africa.”
    A strange light came into his eyes at her words.   “Good.   Want to feel the ocean on your skin?”
    She nodded and sat down to take off her other boot.   When she stood, Channing had removed his own boots as well as his shirt and rolled up the hem to his trousers.
    Once more she took his hand and let him led her to the water.   Abby pulled her skirts up and tucked the hem in her belt as the water touched her ankles.
    They waded out until the waves reached their thighs.   She stood looking out over the vast ocean, ever amazed at the world.   Channing moved to her back and wrapped his arms around her.   His chin rested on top of her head.
    “I never thought to share this with a woman,” he said.
    Her heart skipped a beat.   “I’m